The present invention relates to a soft ice cream, a manufacture method thereof and a soft ice cream manufacture apparatus, further specifically to a soft ice cream obtained by charging a cream flow of a cooled and semi-hardened soft ice cream mix discharged from a discharge nozzle into a cup so that the discharge shape is maintained as much as possible, a manufacture method thereof, and a soft ice cream manufacture apparatus.
A soft cream charged into a corn cup is usually manufactured by a soft ice cream freezer shown in FIG. 9. In the soft ice cream freezer shown in FIG. 9, disposed are mix tanks 10a, 10b for containing a liquid soft ice cream mix, and a cooling chamber 14 provided with a stirrer 12 for stirring, cooling and semi-hardening the liquid soft ice cream mix.
A passage to an adapter 18 provided with a discharge nozzle from an exit hole 16 formed in the wall surface of the cooling chamber 14 is a passage through which the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix passes. A plunger 22 which vertically moves with the vertical movement of a lever 20 is disposed midway in the passage.
The plunger 22 is, as shown in FIGS. 10(a), (b), inserted into an insertion hole 30 formed in a soft ice cream freezer main body 24 so that vertical movement is possible. In the insertion hole 30, the exit hole 16 is opened in the inner wall surface, and the adapter 18 provided with a discharge nozzle 26 is screwed to the lower end.
Additionally, an O ring 28 is attached to the plunger 22 to realize a complete seal between the plunger 22 and the insertion hole 30.
When the lever 20 is moved to place this plunger 22 to the lowermost position, as shown in FIG. 10(a), the tapered end surface of the plunger 22 abuts on the end surface of the adapter 18 screwed to the soft ice cream freezer main body 24, and the soft ice cream mix passage leading to the discharge nozzle 26 from the exit hole 16 is closed.
On the other hand, when the lever 20 is moved to move the plunger 22 upward, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the tapered end surface of the plunger 22 is detached from the end surface of the adapter 18, and the soft ice cream mix passage is opened. Therefore, the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix cooled by the cooling chamber 14 flows in a direction of arrow A from the exit hole 16, and is discharged from the discharge nozzle 26 of the adapter 18. The discharge amount of the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix can be adjusted by adjusting the upward movement distance of the plunger 22.
The soft ice cream can be obtained by charging the cream flow discharged from the discharge nozzle to the cup so that the discharge shape is maintained as much as possible.
Additionally, the conventional soft ice cream is obtained from a single soft ice cream mix, and it has been desired that brightness be added to appearance and complicated flavor be added.
Therefore, after storing the liquid soft ice cream mixes of different components into the mix tanks 10a, 10b, using, for example, the soft ice cream mix with chocolate added thereto as one of the soft ice cream mixes, and cooling and semi-freezing the respective soft ice cream mixes individually, both soft ice cream mix flows are combined and discharged immediately before the soft ice cream mix is discharged from the discharge nozzle 26. The discharged cream flow is a two-color cream flow formed, for example, of a cream color part and a chocolate color part.
The soft ice cream obtained by charging the two-color cream flow discharged from the discharge nozzle 26 into the cup is bright in appearance and its complicated flavor can be tasted as compared with a single-color soft ice cream.
However, the liquid soft ice cream mixes stored in the mix tanks 10a, 10b are periodically subjected to heating for sterilization, and the like.
Therefore, the additive to be added to the soft ice cream mix needs to be unchanged in properties by heating, and the materials such as a strawberry which are easily changed in properties by heating and poor in heat resistance cannot be added. Furthermore, even the fruits that are not easily changed in properties by heating contain acid components in many cases. Therefore, when the soft ice cream mix as a dairy product is mixed with the fruit, the added fruit is separated from a milk content in some cases.
Therefore, for example, when strawberry-like flavor and color are to be added to the soft ice cream, a synthetic additive provided with the strawberry-like flavor and color, containing no acid component and having heat resistance is added to the soft ice cream mix. The soft ice cream obtained by adding the synthetic additive to the soft ice cream mix is poor in fresh strawberry-like flavor.
Furthermore, in a method of adding the additives such as chocolate to the liquid soft ice cream mix stored in one of the mix tanks 10a, 10b, and adding a pattern to the obtained soft ice cream, the pattern added to the soft ice cream is constant, and it is difficult to arbitrarily change the pattern. Additionally, the unique flavor owned by the additives such as chocolate is diluted by the soft ice cream mix.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a soft ice cream in which even the materials such as a strawberry easily changed in properties by heating and containing acid components can be used, and the unique flavor owned by the materials such as strawberry jam and chocolate other than a soft ice cream mix can sufficiently be enjoyed, a manufacture method thereof, and a soft ice cream manufacture apparatus which can manufacture the soft ice cream.
The present inventors have considered that in order to solve the problem, it is effective to continuously or intermittently add fluid materials such as strawberry jam to a semi-hardened soft ice cream mix flow immediately before the mix is discharged from a discharge nozzle or while the mix passes through the discharge nozzle, have conducted studies, and have reached the present invention as a result.
Specifically, according to the present invention, there is provided a soft ice cream obtained by charging a cream flow of a cooled and semi-hardened soft ice cream mix discharged from a discharge nozzle into a cup so that the discharge shape is maintained as much as possible, and a fluid material substantially containing no soft ice cream mix and exhibiting fluidity to the same degree as that of the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix is continuously or intermittently disposed along the cream flow charged to the cup.
Moreover, according to the present invention, there is provided a soft ice cream manufacture method of charging a cream flow of a cooled and semi-hardened soft ice cream mix discharged from a discharge nozzle into a cup so that a discharge shape is maintained as much as possible to manufacture a soft ice cream, and a fluid material substantially containing no soft ice cream mix and exhibiting fluidity to the same degree as that of the semi-frozen soft ice cream mix is continuously or intermittently added to the soft ice cream mix flow passing immediately before the discharge nozzle or through the discharge nozzle.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, there is provided a soft ice cream manufacture apparatus for charging a cream flow of a cooled and semi-hardened soft ice cream mix discharged from a discharge nozzle into a cup so that a discharge shape is maintained as much as possible, and the soft ice cream manufacture apparatus includes: a plunger, disposed in a passage which is provided with the discharge nozzle in one end and through which the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix passes, for attaching/detaching a tip end surface with respect to the discharge nozzle to open/close the passage; and an adding device for continuously or intermittently adding a fluid material substantially containing no soft ice cream mix and exhibiting fluidity to the same degree as that of the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix to the soft ice cream mix flow passing immediately before the discharge nozzle or through the discharge nozzle.
Additionally, xe2x80x9csubstantially containing no soft ice cream mixxe2x80x9d mentioned in the present invention means that the soft ice cream mix is not positively added to the fluid material, and sucrose and/or solid milk content as a soft ice cream mix component may be contained.
According to the present invention, since the fluid materials such as strawberry jam substantially containing no soft ice cream mix are continuously or intermittently added to the semi-hardened soft ice cream mix flow passing immediately before the discharge nozzle or through the discharge nozzle, the fluid material can be supplied alone separately from the supply of the soft ice cream mix. Therefore, since the fluid material does not have to be added to the soft ice cream mix stored in the mix tank, and can be supplied immediately before the discharge nozzle or into the discharge nozzle, the flavor of the fluid materials such as the strawberry jam can be tasted without being diluted by the soft ice cream mix.
Moreover, since the fluid material passes through a passage different from the passage through which the soft ice cream mix passes, the soft ice cream can be obtained using a vegetable or fruit sauce which is poor in heat resistance and which contains acid components.
Furthermore, according to the present invention there is provided a soft ice cream manufacture apparatus comprising: a cooling cylinder for stirring and cooling a mix by a stirrer to manufacture a soft ice cream; an extraction passage for extracting the soft ice cream from the cooling cylinder; a plunger for opening/closing the extraction passage; a sauce passage for supplying a fluid topping sauce to the exit part of the extraction passage; a sauce container for containing the sauce; a sauce pressurizing/feeding device for pressurizing/feeding the sauce to the sauce passage from the sauce container; and a sauce valve for opening/closing the sauce passage.
According to this, since there are provided: the cooling cylinder for stirring and cooling the mix by the stirrer to manufacture the soft ice cream; the extraction passage for extracting the soft ice cream from the cooling cylinder; the plunger for opening/closing the extraction passage; the sauce passage for supplying the fluid topping sauce to the exit part of the extraction passage; the sauce container for containing the sauce; the sauce pressurizing/feeding device for pressurizing/feeding the sauce to the sauce passage from the sauce container; and the sauce valve for opening/closing the sauce passage, the sauce is supplied to the exit part of the extraction passage through which the soft ice cream extracted from the cooling cylinder passes, and the sauce can be added to the surface along the soft ice cream flow.
This can form the unique sauce pattern on the surface of the extracted soft ice cream flow and can increase desires for buying, and a customer can taste the sauce""s own flavor from the start till the end of eating.
Particularly, since the sauce passage for pressurizing/feeding the sauce to the extraction passage is provided with the sauce valve to open/close, the sauce passage is closed by the sauce valve in a case where no sauce is added, so that the sauce can securely be prevented from leaking.
Moreover, in the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention, the sauce valve operates with the opening/closing of the extraction passage by the plunger to open/close the sauce passage.
According to this, since the above-described sauce valve of the soft ice cream manufacture apparatus operates with the opening/closing of the extraction passage by the plunger to open/close the sauce passage, it is unnecessary to separately operate the extraction of the soft ice cream and the addition of the sauce, and the operability is remarkably enhanced.
Moreover, in the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention, it can be selected whether the sauce valve operates with the operation of the plunger or not.
According to this, since it can additionally be selected whether the sauce valve operates with the operation of the plunger or not, in addition to the enhancement of the operability, no trouble occurs in selling the soft ice cream with no sauce added thereto.
Furthermore, in the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention, the sauce pressurizing/feeding device operates with the opening of the sauce valve to pressurize/feed the sauce to the sauce passage from the sauce container.
According to this, since the above-described sauce pressurizing/feeding device operates with the opening of the sauce valve to pressurize/feed the sauce to the sauce passage from the sauce container, during the opening of the sauce valve to add the sauce to the soft ice cream, the sauce pressurizing/feeding device automatically pressurizes/feeds the sauce to the sauce passage, so that the sauce can remarkably smoothly be supplied to the extraction passage.
According to the present invention there is provided a soft ice cream manufacture apparatus for manufacturing a soft ice cream comprising: a cooling cylinder provided with an extraction path for extracting the soft ice cream in a front end; an extraction passage provided with an extraction path exit formed in an inner wall surface, and an extraction nozzle for taking out the extracted soft ice cream in a lower end; a plunger, vertically movably disposed in the extraction passage, for closing the extraction nozzle in a lowered state and opening the extraction path exit when moving upward apart from the extraction nozzle; a sauce container for containing a fluid topping sauce; a sauce passage, provided with an exit in the extraction nozzle, for supplying the sauce to the exit from the sauce container; a pressing device for pressing the sauce container to push out the sauce to the sauce passage from the sauce container; and a sauce valve for opening/closing the sauce passage in the vicinity of the sauce passage exit.
According to this, additionally, since this can be achieved by using the existing soft ice cream manufacture apparatus, changing the extraction nozzle and adding the sauce supply structure, general-purpose properties are enhanced. Particularly, since the pressing device pushes the sauce to the sauce passage from the sauce container in the structure, the sauce supply can securely be achieved in the simplified structure.
Moreover, in the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention, the sauce valve is vertically movably disposed, closes the sauce passage in the lowered state, and opens the sauce passage by the upward movement, and a connecting arm for disconnectably connecting the sauce valve to the plunger is disposed.
According to this, since in the above-described structure the sauce valve is vertically movably disposed, closes the sauce passage in the lowered state, and opens the sauce passage by the upward movement, and the connecting arm for disconnectably connecting the sauce valve to the plunger is disposed, the plunger and sauce valve can be operated together or be disconnected from each other in the remarkably simple structure, so that production cost can be reduced.
Moreover, in the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention, the pressing device constantly applies a pilot pressure to the sauce container, operates with the opening of the sauce valve to increase a pressing force, and lowers the pressing force when the sauce valve closes.
According to this, since the above-described pressing device constantly applies the pilot pressure to the sauce container, and operates with the opening of the sauce valve to increase the pressing force, the sauce can quickly be added with the extraction of the soft ice cream. Moreover, when the sauce valve closes, the pressing force is lowered, so that the pressure applied to the sauce container is minimized, and the container can be prevented or inhibited from being ruptured.
Moreover, in the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention, the sauce container comprises a main body provided with an extraction port connected to the sauce passage, and a bottom wall disposed opposite to the extraction port so that the bottom wall can move toward the extraction port in the main body in a close abutment state on the inner wall of the main body, and the pressing device presses this bottom wall.
According to this, since the above-described sauce container comprises the main body provided with the extraction port connected to the sauce passage, and the bottom wall disposed opposite to the extraction port so that the bottom wall can move toward the extraction port in the main body in the close abutment state on the inner wall of the main body, and the pressing device is constituted to press this bottom wall, the sauce in the sauce container can substantially completely be used up, economical efficiency is enhanced, and the sauce extraction by the pressing device is stabilized.
Furthermore, the above-described soft ice cream manufacture apparatus of the present invention is provided with a cylinder for charging the sauce container, an inner lid rotatably and movably supported to openably close a cylinder opening, a notch directed and cut to the movable direction of the inner lid from the edge of the inner lid on a non-supported side, and a stopper for stopping rotation while the inner lid moves to the non-supported side, the extraction port of the sauce container is drawn from the notch, and the pressing device presses the bottom wall of the sauce container disposed opposite to the extraction port.
According to this, the above-described constitution is provided with the cylinder for charging the sauce container, the inner lid rotatably and movably supported to openably close the cylinder opening, the notch directed and cut to the movable direction of the inner lid from the edge of the inner lid on the non-supported side, and the stopper for stopping the rotation while the inner lid moves to the non-supported side, the extraction port of the sauce container is drawn from the notch, and the pressing device presses the bottom wall of the sauce container disposed opposite to the extraction port, so that the inner lid can be moved/rotated while the sauce container extraction port is drawn to open/close the cylinder opening, and the charging/changing operation of the sauce container is remarkably facilitated. Moreover, the stopper inhibits the inner lid moved to the non-supported side from rotating, and the sauce container can therefore be held without any problem even when the pressing force is applied by the pressing device.